An elaborate security review by the top intelligence and security establishment conducted over the last one week has not found any credible evidence of the Al Qaeda’s direct involvement in sponsoring terror activities in the country. The move was necessitated following the sensational disclosure by Haroon Naik, one of the prime suspects in the 13/7 Mumbai serial blasts case, that he had met and trained under Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden just before the 9/11 attacks.
Intelligence sources have also ruled out the possibility of Al Qaeda having funded the Mumbai 13/7 serial bombings due to Haroon’s proximity to the terror outfit. Sources said the money trail has already been traced to Karachi-based Riaz Bhatkal, the founder of Indian Mujahideen.
The Central intelligence agencies have examined in detail the Interrogation Report (IR) of Haroon that has been forwarded by the Maharashtra ATS. Top intelligence officials here claim the possibility that Haroon was part of a gathering that was given an “inspirational lecture’’ by Osama cannot be discounted but it seems highly unlikely that slain chief of Al Qaeda himself imparted training to Haroon and others. According to Haroon’s interrogation details, he underwent a 40 day “Daura-e-Aam and Daura-e-Khas training given by the LeT in PoK.’’
“Anyone who is familiar with the Al Qaeda functioning knows very well that Osama himself was never involved in the training activities. This job was left to his trusted aides, while Osama himself played the role of a mentor. So this claim of Haroon Naik that he was trained by Osama in Bahawalpur needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. But its quite possible that they were lectured by him,’’ a senior intelligence official said. Even in the Kashmir Valley, sources remarked, only “stray incidents’’ have come to light where foreign militants who have fought alongside Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan have been active. But there is no concrete information that the Al Qaeda made a concerted bid to give further boost to terror in the country.
“Al Qaeda, if at all, has been indirectly helping Indian terror outfits with training, men and weapons. But these incidents are also few and far between,’’ the official added. Sources confirmed that one of the main accused in the 26/11 attacks, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, was indeed present during the various training sessions of Haroon.